Video(s) of the Day: A Big Serving of Lentil, The Cleft Palate Dog!

America is going crazy for Lentil–that being the French Bulldog puppy from Philadephia. He’s five months, old, just short of ten pounds, and has more Facebook friends than we do. He’s also become beloved as a lovable little guy with a cleft palate and a cleft lip. That’s a bad deformity in a lot of ways. For example, Lentil isn’t able to drink or eat anything by himself. Fortunatley, a volunteer with the French Bulldog Rescue Network of Philadelphia came to Lenti’s rescue. We usually think it’s funny when a lovable breed has rescuers, but Lindsay Condefer really lived up to her title when she took in the poor puppy who requires constant care.

That would lead to the creation of Lentil’s Facebook page. The dog’s followers were there as Lentil went through surgery for his cleft palate at the University of Pennsylvania’s veterinary school. It turns out that the college has a pretty impressive Department of Dentistry and Oral Surgery. They soon had Lentil able to eat and drink on his own. The puppy’s cleft lip was less of a problem. Lentil isn’t particularly vain. And that’s turned out to be a great thing, since the vet school was developing a program where children with certain conditions–like cleft palates–would meet animals who shared their conditions

Lentil is a regular at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia nowadays. A recent CNN report has the puppy in the spotlight, but we’re adding in a few other videos from other news sources. It’s certainly one of the feel-good doggie stories of recent years. Watch for yourself and be inspired by Lentil’s amazing spirit and love for his fellow patients….